If a guy recently called you bro then you’re probably wondering why and what he meant by it.

This post will help you understand why he would call you bro and help you understand why other guys might call you bro in the future.

So, what does it mean when a guy calls you bro? A guy calling you bro could mean that he likes you and he is doing it on purpose this would be more likely if he only says it to you and he shows other signs of attraction around you. He might also say it naturally, to annoy you or he might be showing that he is not attracted to you.

Seeing as there are a number of reasons why a guy might call you bro it is important to consider the body language he showed and the context of how he said it.

By doing so it will be easier for you to get an understanding of why he would call you bro.

Reasons why a guy will call you bro

Each of the different reasons why a guy will call you bro will likely come with a number of clues in his body language.

Below, I’ll show you a number of reasons why a guy might call you bro and the body language signs that you can expect to see with them.

He wants to see how you’ll react

The reason that he called you bro could be that he did it on purpose to see how you would react.

The reason that he wanted to see your reaction could be that he likes you but he’s not sure if you like him so he wanted to see if you would react positively.

If that is why he did it then it would be likely that he would only have called you bro once and that he would have shown signs of attraction in his body language that could include:

  • Mirroring your own body language
  • Holding prolonged eye contact with you
  • Having more dilated pupils than normal when talking to you
  • Standing closer to you when talking to you than he does with other people
  • Finding excuses to touch you
  • Asking you the most questions when you’re in a group together
  • Sticking around while you’re talking to other men and getting anxious when you are
  • Getting defensive when other men are around
  • Staring at you then quickly looking away when you notice
  • Talking to you with a deeper voice than he does with other people
  • Asking your friends about you
  • Adjusting his hair or clothing while he is around you
  • Sitting or standing more upright when he sees you
  • Uncrossing his arms or legs when he sees you

He’s comfortable with you

It might be the case that he calls his friends bro and that it is a sign that he feels comfortable around you.

If that is the case then it would be likely that he would call his other female friend’s bro and that he would show the same body language around them as he does around you.

He naturally says it

In some cultures it is normal to call people bro when talking to them.

It could be the case that he called you bro because he is from one of these cultures and that he was addressing you just like he addresses other people.

If that is the case then it would be likely that he would have been calling other people bro as well.

It could also be the case that he is from one of these cultures but he actually calls you bro for a different reason. If he does then it would be likely that his body language would be different around you compared to when he is with other people.

He doesn’t want a relationship with you

The reason that he called you bro might be a subtle way that he was trying to show that he doesn’t want a relationship with you.

If that is why he called you bro then it might be the case that you were showing him signs of attraction or that he thought you were.

It would also be likely that he would show some distancing behaviors such as:

  • Pointing his feet away from you
  • Positioning himself not to be near you
  • Avoiding eye contact
  • Giving you short answers
  • Having tight lips when you’re talking
  • Crossing his arms and legs around you

He’s being disrespectful

The reason that he called you bro could be that he was being disrespectful.

If he was then it would be more likely that he would have said it with a deeper voice, in front of other people, while saying something disrespectful, while squinting at you and while tightening his eyebrows together.

Consider your relationship with him

When trying to understand why he called you bro it would be helpful to consider the type of relationship that you have with him.

If he is your friend then it could be a sign that he either considers you a friend or he might be trying to show that he doesn’t want to have a relationship if he shows some distancing behaviors. Alternatively, he might actually want a relationship and be calling you bro on purpose to see how you’ll react and to make you think about him more. If that’s why he says it then it would be likely that he would show signs of attraction around you.

If he is a guy that you hadn’t met before then it would be more likely that he naturally calls people bro but it might also be the case that he did it because he wanted to see how you would react to it.

Consider when and where he called you bro

The timing and the location of when he called you bro would also be a helpful thing to consider.

If he called you bro while you were both alone together then it would be more likely that he either did it to see your reaction, to show you that he doesn’t want a relationship or it might be that he calls his friend’s bro naturally.

Whereas, if he called you bro in front of other people with a more aggressive tone then it would be more likely that he was being disrespectful.

Consider how he interacts with other people

When trying to understand why he might have called you bro it would be helpful to consider the way that he interacts around other people.

If he calls other people bro and he shows the same behavior and body language around them as he does around you then it would be much more likely that he naturally calls people bro.

Whereas, if he only calls you bro and he changes his behavior and body language when he is around you then it would be more likely that he either did it to see how you would react or because he was subtly showing that he doesn’t want a relationship. It would be helpful to consider whether or not he shows signs of attraction or if he shows distancing signs around you.

Look for a number of signs

When trying to understand why he called you bro it would be helpful to look for a number of signs in his body language.

If he shows multiple signs of distancing, of attraction or of something else then it would be much more likely that it is the reason that he is showing those signs.

Whereas, if he only shows one sign of attraction, distancing or something else then it would be less likely that it is the actual reason that he’s showing it since a single body language sign usually has many possible meanings.

Consider how he reacts to seeing you

Considering the way that he reacts to seeing you would likely be a useful thing to do when figuring out how he feels about you.

If he changes his body language and behavior when he first sees you then it would be likely that he had some kind of an emotional response to seeing you.

If he reacts to seeing you by uncrossing his arms, sitting upright, adjusting his hair or clothing, his pupils dilate and he raises his eyebrows and smiles at you then it would be likely that he is attracted to you and that he called you bro to see if you’d react well.

Whereas, if he points his feet away from you, crosses his arms, avoids eye contact, squints and tightens his lips then it would be more likely that he was being disrespectful when he called you bro or that he was trying to show that he doesn’t want a relationship.

If you want to learn more about body language, a book I would recommend would be The Definitive Book of Body Language (on Amazon). It shows you how to interpret body language and understand people's true intentions.

Author

I created and currently manage Body Language Central, one of the premier sources for body language-related knowledge. Body language plays a key role in our daily lives. I hope that my website can help condense the wide amount of body language information available and allow you to make full use of it in your daily life. You can read more about me and my website here.